Question # 182: I know that riding and training AREN'T linear. I get that. But I'm really flummoxed about how to deal with the last year...
Our show results are just like a total crap shoot these days. Things we used to have in the bag are questionable now. I used to be able to count on finishing on our dressage score, and we rarely had SJ rails and never X-C penalties. Some things are improving, but everything that we used to be able to count on seems now not necessarily there. I get the non-linearity of training (2 steps forward, 1 step back), but this feels like the inexplicableness of quantum mechanics!! Are we still progressing? We've been doing schooling dressage shows at 1st level rider test and level1 test 3 and earning high 60's but otherwise, it's hard to point at progress... (Briana)
Hi Briana!
I am sorry to hear that you and Henry have been having a tough time lately! I've always thought that one of the most fun things about the sport of Eventing, is that there are three completely different phases involved. But one of the frustrating things about the sport is that since there are three different phases, it is somewhat common for one phase to go a little downhill as you improve in another. While there is no proven logic behind this phenomenon, I have seen it happen many times. A rider will finally get that big breakthrough in Dressage, and then have an unusual stop on cross country. Or the rider will finally lick that problem with jumping corner fences on cross country, only to find that the Dressage isn't what it has been. Or on the weekend that you have a personal best in Dressage, and a great clean run on cross country, you uncharacteristicly have several rails down in the show jumping. It sucks! But that's what can happen when you have three very different sets of skills to work on. Here's what I would suggest: (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
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